JetLag
by Desert Orchid
Summary: So what if Josie was trapped in an alternate world? She still has to finish school! With Corrine off with Marshall in Europe, who's going to help her out? Her clone might be good company, if Lucas keeps his word. But does she really want the competition?:
1. to whet the appetite

a/n: I'm a recent convert to SDBHH. I don't own them, it's prolly the other way around .

just a little bit after conclusions. Comments would be greatly appreciated. I should warn you though, this could get real mature really fast :3

Chapter 1: to whet the appetite

A sudden knock on the door made Lucas Randall jerk from his crouching position under the desk, hitting his head on the wood with considerable force. The circuitry he was wiring shook tauntingly at his face as he tried to collect himself. After giving his shirt a few sniffs, he shrugged and opened his door.

"What the hell, Lucas? Not one bath since graduation?"

"Uh." He was at a loss for words as Josie Trent made her way into the room with a sandwich baggie and soda. She stared at the mess and snorted. "You're worse than I am, and I'm already at the peak of disarray-dom."

"I was kind of busy. Thanks," he said as he ripped open the brown paper and wolfed down the sandwich. "Cheese's a bit burnt though." He watched her over his sandwich as she examined the device on his desk. Josie picked it up, analyzing the flat piece of circuit board adorned with dials and wires. "Is this supposed to get her back?"

"Or at least find her. Which alternate universe she's in, anyway." Lucas swallowed the last bite of sandwich before washing it down with soda. He made a face. "Cherry just to spite me?"

"I missed you too, thanks," Josie retorted while inspecting the device some more. Lucas gulped and turned towards the door, and Josie realized her little slip as her face started to burn a bit. She cleared her throat. "How long will you try and get this thing to work?"

"Two weeks. Then my dad will come out here and drag me to prepare for college. So I have to get busy." He threw the empty soda can in the bag. "You better do some studying too. A year is a long time for someone to be out of school." He threw the bag in the trash bin. "Thanks for this."

"No problem. At least one of us is doing something interesting, if you don't count Corrine and Marshall in Europe and Vaughn bonding with his mom from the future." There was more than a little bitterness in Josie's voice.

Lucas sighed. As he guessed, she still wasn't over Vaughn. But now wasn't the time for that. A life was at stake here. "I'll let you and Z know as soon as I make any progress. But for now, do your best to graduate on time." He gave her a small smile and a pat on the head before turning back to work on his device.

Josie smiled and lingered at the door, looking at Lucas with his wild hair all over the place as he tinkered with his machine. Then she softly closed the door. With any luck she'd see him at dinner this evening. The thought made her smile all through the corridor and down to her next class. He'd been holed up in his room since graduation trying to find a way to get her clone out of limbo that they hardly hung out at all.

She crossed the main hallway just as a shadow fell through the entrance doors. Josie stopped in her tracks.

"Hey, Josie." Vaughn made his way in and leaned on the wall, his hands in his pockets. "Could I talk to you?"


	2. setting it up

Chapter 2: setting it up 

She still had half an hour before English class. Josie led Vaughn down the corridor and into an empty classroom. She shut the door quietly behind him and put her books down on one of the desks. She felt Vaughn's eyes follow her from across the room.

Josie turned from the desk. Vaugh was leaning on the blackboard, his hand in his pockets. "I-"

"How are your parents?"

Vaughn jaw stiffened for a moment, but he forced himself to relax. "They're good. Apparently my mom is the worse cook. I was actually just on my way to eat out when I thought of coming by here." Vaughn stepped closer, and Josie felt her breath catch. "I... I wanted to pick up where we left off."

Josie clutched the edge of the desk. "I don't know…"

Vaughn moved closer. He didn't realize how much he missed Josie until he had ridden off with his family after graduation. He smiled at the thought. _His family_. Not just his father. They were finally a complete unit.

Josie tried to look away, but she was magnetized by Vaughn's gaze. She allowed him to place a hand on her shoulder. She still liked him after everything.

"This feeling Josie. It isn't just the science. It's not because we share the same DNA. I really like you, and the year that you were away…"

"You were willing to follow through Avenir's plan, even if the outcome would have been horrid for us."

Vaughn shoulders slumped and he put a hand on his head. "I just wanted my mother back, Josie. I wanted to save her." He took her hand and kissed her palm softly. "I wanted to save you too. Now that everything is finished, we can start over."

Josie sighed and looked up at Vaughn. Should she really give him another chance? He wasn't a bad guy, he was just set on his goals. Josie had to respect him for his drive to save his mother. A smile crept on her face.

Vaughn saw the window of hope. He enveloped Josie, cradling her face to him. Lightly, he pressed his lips on the corner of her mouth. "Vaughn, I.."

"Josie.."

There was a commotion outside the door. It flung open. "Josie I got it! We gotta find-"

Lucas stopped midsentence, his fist clenching on his finished device. Josie stared back at him, Vaughn's arm still wrapped around her. Vaughn looked at Lucas, then back at Josie, but she continued to stare.

"Lucas."

"I finished the device. I wanted to try it out with you and Z. I see you're busy, though. Hey Vaughn."

"Hey Luc-"

"So I gotta go. Z's probably at lunch. Later." Quicker than lightning, Lucas bolted down the hall.

Vaughn stared at the empty doorway. Josie shook her head and untangled herself from Vaughn. "I just realized why this won't work."

Vaughn snapped his head to Josie. "If this is because of Lucas-"

"Of course it is."

Vaughn's eyes narrowed. He placed his hands back on Josie's shoulder."Look, I know he's a good guy and all, no matter how crazy or paranoid he is, but you cannot let him dictate how you feel just because he follows you around like a puppy on crack."

"You want to know how I feel?"

"Of course I do."

"It's not Lucas' fault. It's mine." Josie pried Vaughn's fingers off her. She squeezed his hands. "I like you, Vaughn. But Lucas…he's something else." She shook her head . "I can't even understand it myself, so I don't expect you to." She let him go and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "I have to go. Come see us more often." She picked up her books and walked briskly out the door.

Vaughn sighed. _Well, it was worth a try_. He smiled, feeling both disappointed and relieved. At least he knew that Josie was in good hands_. Lucas, my man, you really are something else. I do believe I'll be popping around here more._

Lucas was fuming on his way to the cafeteria, but by the time he found Z, he had calmed down. It didn't matter whom Josie chose. She was safe, she was _here_. It would be better than wondering whether she was alive or dead. That past year had been incredibly painful for him, but he never gave up hope. Every night before bed he would creep down stairs and just stand in front of the science room, waiting. Sometimes Marshall, when he was still with them, or Corrine, and even Vaughn, dragged him back to bed when they woke up and found him missing.

But he just couldn't let her go. He sighed as he made his way to Z's table, the device safe in his hands. If he was going to permanently jealous for the rest of his life, he better start getting used to it. He didn't want to break Josie and Vaughn up. He knew Vaughn was a good guy. Stubborn, but weren't they all?

"What is it Lucas? "Professor Noel Zachary, known to his students as Z, scarfed down a bowl of macaroni while reading an old issue of National Geographic.

Lucas plopped down the chair opposite him and laid the device on the table. Z's eyes widened mid-macaroni. "You're done?"

"Just attach this to the gravity sensor and let the wormhole do the rest. If it's still there, that is." Lucas folded his arms and leaned back. "We can test it out when classes are over."

"Are you sure about this, Lucas?" Z pushed away his half-eaten tray. "I know I should be against this, but I also know that this is your decision. And I want to help Josie's clone as well."

"It's on then. Tonight."

"Lucas."

Josie stood behind him. "You've done it?"

Lucas looked away. "Yeah, I'm just going to go set up. See you later, Z." He hurried out of the cafeteria.

Josie glanced at Z and gave a small shrug, and then ran out after Lucas.

Professor Z smiled as he went back to his macaroni. At least something good might come out of this experiment.

//must find moar time to luff! Thanks to my first reviewer, Miss LadyAzuraD


End file.
